The enchanting underground world of Capo Caccia

If you got bored by beaches, a good thing to do is to visit Capo Caccia, about 20 km to the north-west of Alghero (85 km from Blulatte).

Capo Caccia is an enormous bluff dropping sheer into the sea that owes its name to the pastime of the 19th-century noblemen who used to shoot down pigeons from their boats. Looking down from its sheer cliffs is a unique experience. If you are not afraid of heights there’s a vertiginous 656-step stairway, the fascinating Escala del Cabirol , which starts from the esplanade of Capo Caccia and descends 110m reaching the spectacular Neptune’s Caves at sea level.

This famous cave is a enchanting, underground fairyland of stalactites and stalagmites.

If you prefer a more comfortable access, the caves can be accessed from the sea by boats leaving from the city’s port or from Alghero, sailing through waters which at one time were home to the monk seal and today are a rich marine habitat: the Marine Protected Area of Capo Caccia – Isola Piana.

Tours of the caves take you through narrow walkways flanked by forests of curiously shaped stalactites and stalagmites, nicknamed the organ, the church dome (or warrior’s head) and so on. At its furthest point the cave extends back for 1km, but a lot is not open to the public, including several freshwater lakes deep inside the grotto.

There are plenty of day trips to the cave, last around 45 minutes and cost around 10 euros. (In bad weather the grotto is closed)

A walk across Isola Piana deserves a bit of birdwatching: the magic colors of the cliff are made even more precious by spying some eagle, a peregrine falcon or a stormy petrel .

The area around Capo Caccia is very interested for divers. There are about 20 dive sites where probably the most interesting are wrecks.